Lakeville is a city located along Interstate 35 in Dakota County, Minnesota. It is one of the southernmost suburbs of Minneapolis, and is sometimes referred to as an "outer ring" suburb. Lakeville is one of the fastest growing cities in Minnesota. The population was 43,128 at the 2000 census.

Lakeville has a rapidly growing business community with several new retail centers being opened in recent years. In addition to retail, the city is served by an industrial park known as Airlake which is served by a short line railroad and a regional reliever airport (see below).

The city is served by three different school districts whose boundaries were determined while the community was largely agricultural. Today Independent School District #196 ("Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan") and the Farmington School District #192 service portions of northern and eastern Lakeville. The majority of Lakeville households are served by the Lakeville Area School District #194. The Lakeville School District opened its second large high school in the autumn of 2005.

The City of Lakeville is governed by a five member City Council and Mayor, though a City Manager runs day to day municipal operations. A professional police force and volunteer fire department protect the city's residents. The city operates a large parks department which includes a senior center, an arts and entertainment center, dozens of various neighborhood and community parks, and many miles of multipurpose trails.

Lakeville still has several large farms in operation. Corn, soybeans and dairy cattle are the leading revenue sources in these agricultural operations.